NOTE: If your computer is running a recent version of Windows or Mac OS X and you have Shockwave 11, please use the new version of this program. This early version is for older Windows-based computers. It will work on an older Mac, but the application will load slowly and printing has been disabled.

BRUSHster is an online painting machine for all ages. This shockwave interactive includes more than forty brushes and customizable size, transparency, texture, and stroke options. A rainbow palette, along with a toolbox of special effects that blur, ripple, smudge, blend, and fragment your designs help make BRUSHster a full-feature painting program.

BRUSHster has a mind of its own! Click one of the green AUTO buttons and let the computer generate some paintings for you. When you want to regain control, just click the red STOP button or start drawing.

If you'd like some ideas about how to begin, check out this slideshow. These examples represent some of the many ABSTRACT effects you can create with the program. Do you love random squiggles and dramatic gestures, or are you happier when everything is neat and orderly? Do you like vibrant colors or soft pastels? Do you enjoy drawing pictures, or can you express yourself best through color and texture? BRUSHster can do it all.

Abstract painting is like visual music. It lets you share your mood or express an idea without painting a recognizable picture of something in the real world. BRUSHster is programmed to paint ABSTRACT art, but the tools can be used to create realistic pictures, too. If you'd like to draw with BRUSHster, select brush 32 and adjust the size slider to make a thin line.

You can SAVE up to eight paintings as you work, which makes it easy to backtrack if you change your mind. Saved images will remain active and "re-paintable" as long as your Web
browser window with the BRUSHster program remains open. If you refresh the Web page, the program will reload and the work in progress will disappear.

Click the question mark button for more HELP.

To print your art, click the printer icon.
To share your designs electronically or to save them to your computer, print to PDF or take a screen shot. Here's how.

If the top of this page is blank, download or update Shockwave Player. NOTE: Intel-based Macintoshes run Shockwave in Rosetta emulation mode. Visit our technical help page to learn how to install Shockwave and set up your browser on a new Mac.

If you're interested in learning more about modern art, tell your parents and teachers about our Art Since 1950, a 95-page book filled with essays and activities about twentieth-century art. (PDF 2.4.MB)